Canada's top chefs return to Kelowna Feb. 1-2 to battle for the title of best in the nation at the Canadian Culinary Championships.

The competition includes a Mystery Wine Pairing Competition, Black Box Competition, and Grand Finale at the Delta Grand Hotel. Tickets are available at http://www.greatkitchenparty.com/.

Leading up the event, Castanet is featuring profiles of the 11 competing chefs.

Newfoundland – Katie Hayes, Bonavista Social Club

Katie Hayes, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of Canada and a Red Seal Chef, grew up in Upper Amherst Cove.

During her childhood there, she spent many days picking rocks to open up new garden beds from which produce now is sourced for the restaurant she co-owns with her husband.

Bonavista Social Club, located in the same small community on the Bonavista Peninsula, harnesses the established farm gardens, animal husbandry and self-sufficient lifestyle at work in Upper Amherst Cove to provide a truly unique experience of rural Newfoundland.

The restaurant is home to the only commercial wood-fired bread oven in Newfoundland and Labrador. The bread oven is the centrepiece of an open kitchen.

Canada's top chefs return to Kelowna Feb. 1-2 to battle for the title of best in the nation at the Canadian Culinary Championships.

The competition includes a Mystery Wine Pairing Competition, Black Box Competition, and Grand Finale at the Delta Grand Hotel. Tickets are available at http://www.greatkitchenparty.com/.

Leading up the event, Castanet is featuring profiles of the 11 competing chefs.

New Brunswick and PEI – Irwin MacKinnon, Papa Joe’s, Charlottetown

Chef Irwin MacKinnon has been a member of the Culinary Federation since 1992.

The Prince Edward Island Association of Chefs and Cooks has been holding its annual “Chef of the Year” Gala Dinner for the past 20 years. Chef Irwin has been involved in the dinner in one aspect or another since its beginning and has been the recipient of the award in 2001 and 2017.

He is currently president of the organization.

MacKinnon has been a member of Culinary Team PEI on seven occasions, competing at the Atlantic Culinary Exhibition and Regional Conferences. In addition to competing, he has judged numerous Provincial and Regional competitions. He has also coached both Skills Canada and PEI Junior Chef competitors.

Chef Irwin is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of Canada. He understands the importance of having a mentoring chef and since becoming a chef himself, he has mentored over 40 intern students from the Culinary Institute of Canada and continues to do so today.

He received the award for 2018 Eastern Regional Chef of the Year at the CCFCC Regional Conference in April of this year and 2018 National Chef of the Year at the CCFCC National Conference in June of this year.

Irwin is an Island-born chef and resides in New Haven, PEI, with his wife and four children. He enjoys cooking regional cuisine using local ingredients while concentrating on flavour and presentation. Local farmers, producers and artisans also recognize him for using their Island products extensively throughout his menus.

"Sometimes when air is let in very quickly, it tends to complete the combustion process in a very violent manner.”

The injured firefighter, a captain and long-time member of the Kelowna Fire Department, walked to an ambulance and was taken to hospital, where he underwent several tests. He was discharged Friday night.

“When that explosion happened it blew the exterior wall covering off and when it did that, our member was basically right across from it ... he took the hit basically,” Light said.

“He still wonders how the fella next to him didn't get hit. There were numerous firefighters in the area but he was the only one injured.”

The fire, which began on the roof, was caused by roofers using a torch on the building. A catastrophic fire that completely destroyed an unfinished condo building on Truswell Road in the summer of 2017 was started in the same way. A firefighter was also injured by an explosion in that fire.

While injuries are relatively uncommon, Light says it can be the nature of the job.

“We go into a really uncontrolled area and try to control it, and sometimes when you do that, in these uncontrolled areas, they just get away. It's just one of the inherent dangers of our occupation.”